Joan Conway and Blaine Marchand are each individually pillars of their poetry communities, but they have been particularly selected as this year's honorees for their work together in sustaining the League's Fresh Voices program. Under their leadership, the League's Associate members had the opportunity to submit poems for publication and receive mentorship and editing from these two volunteer coordinators. Their work on Fresh Voices laid the foundation for a program that the League hopes will be able to secure funding in the near future and become a core element of the organization's programming for emerging writers.

Joan Conway lives and creates in the breathtaking landscapes of northwestern British Columbia, on the unceded territory of the Tsimshian people. Her deep passion for the region's culture and geography greatly influences her artistic work. Joan played a key role in establishing the collective Writers North of 54⁰, which has published five anthologies showcasing the remarkable voices of their region. Her poetry has been featured in various journals and anthologies. She published a poetic memoir titled “Weave As A River,” which explores themes of healing. Her most recent poetry collection, “Singing the Night,” is dedicated to the youth she worked with at an alternate school.

Having lived in a rural area for most of my life, I fully understand the barriers that writers face when trying to break into the literary world—it’s a tough challenge. Our increasingly competitive market makes it even more essential to be part of a community that fosters encouragement and provides opportunities to showcase one’s work. When Leslie Strutt, the creator of Fresh Voices, passed the torch to me in 2017, I saw it as an opportunity to broaden my support for writers on a national level—what an honor!

Working alongside Blaine, who mentored poets with humility and a wealth of experience, made the seven years I co-edited the publication a heartfelt endeavor. By building relationships with our Associate members, I gained a richer perspective on the craft of writing. Volunteering is a mutually beneficial pursuit; we give, and we receive.

I want to extend my gratitude to the League of Canadian Poets for this award and to everyone involved in creating such a supportive network for all writers. Thank you.

Blaine Marchand was born in Ottawa in 1949. His poetry and prose has appeared in magazines across Canada and in the United States.

He has won several prizes for his writing, including 2nd Prize in the 1990 National Poetry Contest and the Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry for his book A Garden Enclosed. His two most recent books, Aperture and The Craving of Knives were short-listed for the Archibald Lampman Award in 2009 and 2010.

He has six books of poetry published, a children's novel and a work of non-fiction. His newest collection, Becoming History, will be published in the autumn of 2021 by Aeolus House Press of Toronto.
He has been active in the literary scene in Ottawa for over 40 years, having been a co-founder of the Canadian Review, Sparks magazine and radio show, the Ottawa Independent Writers and the Ottawa Valley Book Festival.

He was the President of the League of Canadian Poets from 1991-93 and was also active in the league in several capacities. He was a monthly columnist for Capital XTRA, the GLTB community paper, for nine years.